Big Music Project roadshow completes UK tour

Wednesday 20th August 2014

The Big Music Project roadshow, managed and delivered by Cospa and designed to give young people an inspirational insight into skills development and work opportunities across the music industry, has completed ten successful stops across the UK. The roadshow kicked off in London in June and has now visited cities in all four UK home countries, including Belfast, Cardiff and Edinburgh.

Each roadshow event was designed to inspire, connect and empower young people, including giving them access to progression opportunities within the music industry and also supporting them in developing their own skills and music project ideas. Of the 350 young people aged 16-25 who ‘graduated’ at the events, 93% felt their skills had improved and 97% believed they had a better idea of how to create and realise their own music projects.

Cospa’s role included engaging music industry professionals – such as festival founders, radio presenters, artists, music entrepreneurs, producers and promoters from organisations such as Access To Music, Live Nation, Generator, XFM, Capital FM, Dot Dot Dot Festival and The Academy of Music and Sound – to share their experiences with young people.

The ten roadshow events all comprised a mix of guest industry panels, speed networking, exclusive performances, talent showcases and practical knowledge-sharing workshops and sessions, led by the music industry experts, covering areas such as event management, promotion via social media, and business enterprise and self-employment.

Mike Walsh, Managing Editor at XFM and a guest contributor, summed up his experience of the Manchester event: “I didn’t know what to expect from the roadshow but I was really impressed. The talent and appetite exhibited by young people was incredible, and the general atmosphere was amazing. I can’t imagine any young person walking away from those events and not feeling inspired, and it’s great that XFM could play a part.”

The Cospa event team was led by Fusion, a music producer and founder of Industry In The Streets. In his view: “The roadshow brought together so many amazing resources, people and organisations that, together, gave young people across the UK unparalleled access and insight to the music industry, and Cospa’s ambition is to now develop and extend this successfully-proven roadshow model into the future.”